Building a pump track means creating a sports facility for wheeled activities, bringing together children, families, casual riders and experienced athletes.
HTracks is completing one of the most emblematic projects in its history in Haute-Savoie: the pumptrack that will host the 2027 World Championships.
Designed both for top-level competition and everyday riding, this new facility features three tracks, covering nearly 2,350 m² of riding surface and almost 600 metres of combined track length.
When a public authority wants to build a pumptrack, there are several ways to structure and manage the project. At first glance, these differences may seem primarily administrative. Yet the chosen procurement and project structure can have a direct impact on the quality of the pumptrack that is ultimately built.
Once this stage has been completed, local authorities must choose the procurement procedure best suited to their project. Should design and construction be awarded under separate contracts? Should a design-build contract be considered? Is there a universal answer to these questions?
At HTracks, we believe this topic deserves a technical, pragmatic and balanced approach.
Contrary to some common misconceptions, the purpose of public procurement has never been to isolate public authorities from companies or industry experts.
For several years, public procurement regulations have allowed contracting authorities to gain a better understanding of the solutions available on the market before defining their needs.
Pumptrack and Skatepark: Differences, Uses and Complementarity Urban sports facility projects are evolving rapidly within local communities and municipalities. Today, elected officials, urban planners and
In the United States, pump tracks respond to a very specific challenge: creating places for physical activity in environments largely shaped by cars, distance and highly structured sports systems.
Northern France has a deeply rooted sports culture. Football, cycling and BMX racing have long been part of the region’s identity, creating a strong sense of collective energy around sport.
Installing a pump track in Northern France is not about importing a new trend. It is about extending a local sporting tradition while adapting it to contemporary practices.
In the early 2000s, urban recreational facilities tended to follow fairly rigid categories: playgrounds for younger children, multi-sport courts for soccer or basketball, skateparks for dedicated riders.
Urban sports have diversified: BMX, scooters, skateboarding, roller sports and mountain biking. Younger generations are often less interested in structured team games and more drawn to movement, flow and personal experience.
Finding a physical activity that parents and children can truly share is not always easy. Many sports facilities tend to segment their users: fields for teenagers, playgrounds for younger children, fitness areas for adults.
Pump tracks break away from that logic.
Parents and educators often ask the same question:
At what age can a child start riding on a pump track?
Contrary to common assumptions, riding on a pump track does not begin with BMX bikes. It begins with balance.
Since 2018, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has organized a global competition series: the UCI Pump Track World Championships. The circuit includes qualifying rounds in more than 20 countries each year. In 2023, more than 3,000 riders took part in the qualifying events worldwide.
One of the first questions cities ask when discussing a pump track project is simple:
how long does it take to build one?
Environmental considerations are now central to most public development projects. Cities must evaluate the environmental impact of new infrastructure, anticipate maintenance costs and limit unnecessary land development.
